NEW YORK - The New York Civil Liberties Union today sent a letter
to all New York City public school principals alerting them to
students’ privacy rights and urging they adopt a model policy with
regard to how their schools handle student cell phones. The letter comes
in response to the end of the citywide ban on cell phones in school.

“The right to privacy is universal – it should not vary from school
to school,” said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. “Cell phones
create a digital record of nearly every aspect of a young person’s life –
from the mundane to the intimate. Schools must adopt clear guidelines
limiting the circumstances when a student’s phone may be searched.”

Following the end of the ban, individual schools across the city have
been tasked with setting their own policies regarding student
possession and use of phones in school. The NYCLU’s letter and model
policy cite longstanding case law upholding students’ privacy rights, as
well as more recent case law imposing limitations on cell phone
searches because of their inherent intrusiveness. Based on these
standards, the policy limits phone searches to circumstances when there
is reasonable suspicion that a serious or potentially dangerous
violation of the law or a school rule has occurred and there is reason
to believe that evidence of the violation will be found on the phone.

The policy also suggests that the scope of the search be limited to
the specific app or phone files likely to contain evidence of the
violation and strictly prohibits the use of a confiscated cell phone by
school personnel to contact anyone.

“For nearly a decade the citywide ban on cell phones in school
created needless flashpoints of confrontation between children and the
police personnel who work in their schools – particularly in schools
with metal detectors where students are overwhelmingly low-income black
and Latino youth,” said NYCLU Advocacy Director Johanna Miller. “The
lift of the cell phone ban creates a much needed shift in disciplinary
policy, placing the power back within the hands of our educators.

Clearly articulated guidelines for students and faculty alike will
ensure that everyone’s privacy interests are protected and that the new
rules and regulations are well understood.”

About Me

We do not open attachments. Stop e-mailing them. Threats and abusive e-mail are not covered by any privacy rule. This isn't to the reporters at a certain paper (keep 'em coming, they are funny). This is for the likes of failed comics who think they can threaten via e-mails and then whine, "E-mails are supposed to be private." E-mail threats will be turned over to the FBI and they will be noted here with the names and anything I feel like quoting.
This also applies to anyone writing to complain about a friend of mine. That's not why the public account exists.